March 31 Another hazy day in Hanoi

I wonder if I am ever going to see the sun again. I sure hope that this smog isn't everywhere in Vietnam.
I just walked in the old town today. This old quarter still follows the medieval custom where all the same trades are on the same street. My hotel is on the grave stone street. At any time there men on the sidewalk carving away. There is the bamboo street, if you need some bamboo poles. I bought some underwear on the Underwear Alley. That's all they sell there, and it's the only place where you can get underwear. Sizing is the other fun. My "medium" is an "XL" here.
The Vietnamese language is interesting. It is a tonal language. This means that how you sound a word is very important. For example the word "ma" has six different meanings, depending on how you sound it. Two of the meanings are "mother" and "horse". I guess you would have to be very careful when you ask someone "May I ride your horse?"
Anyway life goes on.
One great thing here is the local beer. There are "taverns" every couple of blocks. A man sits beside a large plastic vat. A rubber hose is like a tap, which he controls with his finger. When someone orders a glass he fills the glass. 35 cents a glass; and it's good beer. Cheaper than Coke.
Tomorrow I am off on another road trip, starting at Ba Be Lakes and then to Cao Bang. I won't be back to Hanoi till Sunday.
I will try to keep blogging
Ralf